Sochi Winter Olympics – a gateway to the future

The logo for the 2014 Winter Olympics, to be held in Sochi, was unveiled this week, becoming the first Olympic emblem to feature a web address - Sochi2014.ru

With four years to go before the highly-anticipated sporting event, and following months of research and surveys, the organizers have come up with something that they hope will symbolize the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The organizers considered targeting the digital generation with the goal of making the Games the most innovative in history.

The new design immediately appeared on billboards all around the Southern Russian city.

“Active”, “surprising” and “real” – these were the three words that the designers of this logo had in mind. The organizers of the Sochi Olympics say they have done all they can to pick the best idea as well as details such as the type and color.

The website Sochi2014.ru features prominently, the first web address ever to appear on an Olympic symbol.

It gives sporting fans everywhere an idea of what the future Games will look like, and has the latest news and updates.

And besides the Internet, a massive domestic and international media campaign has been launched to promote the coming attractions in “the Russian city where the snow meets the Black sea”.

The new design was given the thumbs up by the International Olympic Committee.

“I like it very much. I think it is very appealing, very creative, innovative,” says IOC President Jacques Rogge, “I think it will appeal especially to the young population. And you know that the IOC is doing all best efforts to have young people go to sports. So I think it's really very creative, so I like it very much.”

Aside from graphic layouts and virtual reality, Sochi still has a lot to do to prepare for the big event. More than 200 Olympic facilities are currently being designed and built in the Imereti Lowland and in Krasnaya Polyana – the main areas for the Games.

The latest project is a tunnel bypass on the outskirts of Sochi. It’s been in construction since the 1970s, but was completed in less than a year, following the city winning the Olympic bid.

Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov says the entire community will benefit from the event, and he is hoping to get more support from everyone involved.

“The people of Sochi will work hard to make our city a comfortable place to live in, a welcoming city, a center of sporting activity, and the city that will represent Russia during the 2014 Olympics,” promise Sochi’s Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov. “And we will do our best to make the days that the world will spend in Sochi at the time of the event – an unforgettable experience.”

Unlike most Olympic cities, Sochi still does not have a mascot for the event – it will be chosen later in a nationwide referendum.

Previous small-scale public contests suggest the logo be just about anything – from a dolphin on skis, to a polar bear or snowflake.

Whichever mascot is chosen, the organizers want to preserve the original idea – to make the 2014 Winter Olympics the most innovative games in history, with the main slogan “Gateway to the future”.